Harry Potter: The Darkest Soul
by Anarching
Summary: Taking place directly after the events of the Deathly Hollows. Dirge is a new student enrolling in Hogwarts with a dark past.
1. Chapter 1

_**Harry Potter**_  
 _ **The Darkest Soul.**_

 _ **CHAPTER 1. The Force of Rage.**_

The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well as he saw his children board the train on their first trip to Hogwarts. He scanned the crowd and as his eyes met with those of a young boy the scar that had not felt pain in 19 years suddenly burned bright again causing him to clutch to his wife Ginny. "What's wrong Harry?" Her eyes searched around for any sort of danger. The searing pain had left and he stood confused.

"It was nothing I suppose. Just my scar."

"Your scar? Why would your scar be hurting now? You've not mentioned it in, fuck, nineteen years. Why now?"

"I don't know, I'm probably just paranoid, maybe I'm worried. Hell, it's probably just memories." His eyes scanned again searching for the child that had caused his scar to flair in pain but saw no signs of him. He sighed and loosed his heels from the stone walkway and allowed Ginny to pull him out of the crowd and through the wall back onto the platform of 9 3/4. He thought back to the kid despite his best effort. The Light blue of his eyes was seared into Harry's memory as he drove the winding path to the Weasley house where he and the group had decided to meet for drinks.

-

The famous Harry Potter. The boy who lived. Young Dirge felt cold creep through his system as he noticed the scar on the forehead of the middle-aged man in the shabby brown coat. He had hoped to see Harry Potter and obtain his autograph but the crowd would have made it practically impossible. He could apparate over to him with ease but he felt that it would be a bad image for his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Shit." Dirge kicked the floor with his heel and boarded the train walking past the crowd of shuffling first years. His eyes locked on the man on the platform.

His tied back hair bounced against his neck as his pet snake writhed in the pocket of his black robe. He attempted to squeeze himself past a well endowed 6th year student when an unfortunate misstep caused her to tumble to the ground. He sighed and offered her his hand. "Are you ok ma'am, I'm very sorry, I was attempting to squeeze past you but I tripped."

"I think I'm okay, why are you in such a big rush anyway?" She stood up wobbly the strength of the young man helping her up threw her off balance again. She blushed hard as her breast squished into the young boys face. She could now feel the blood starting to drip down her leg. "I'm so sorry dude. I didn't mean to breast press you like that."

"S'fine." He rubbed the back of his head and allowed himself to cool down from the unexpected sensation of her breast in his face. "I'm sorry again, you see I saw Harry Potter on the opposite side of the platform and I was trying to get over there to ask him for his autograph but There are so many people here that I couldn't get there in time." His face pulled into a disappointed grimace.

"Harry Potter? Oh yeah, I've heard of that guy. His kids are already seated. James is a third year, he's a decent guy. wicked smart. He's in Gryffindor House. and then there's Albus. He's a first year like you. They have a daughter as well but she's not scheduled to start for a few years. Come on, I'll show you to them." She clutched his robe and began dragging him along the train to the back. As he passed along the walkway he noticed the seeping of blood through her jeans.

"Excuse me ma'am."

"Ariel."

"Ariel?"

"Yeah, Ariel, that's my name."

"Well it's very pretty, anyway, ummm, Ariel, you're bleeding."

"I know, but I can't do anything about it now, it'll have to wait." She looked back and smiled sweetly. "Anyway, what's your name sweetheart, I mean, you have buried your face between my breast, the least you can do is let me know what name to call." She was expecting him to blush but he maintained a stoic composure as he stared at her bleeding leg.

"My name is Dirge."

"Dirge? Why does that sound familiar?" She stopped pulling momentarily so that the trolley cart could pull past them, the tantalizing smell of sweets filled the air causing her mouth to water. Her stomach rumbled. She really wanted food but her family was struggling.

"It's what you would hear at a funeral. A dirge is a funeral song or tune, or one expressing mourning in commemoration of the dead. Personally I think my parent's had a sick sense of humour." He waved the trolley cart over and looked at Ariel. "You're hungry. Eat something, my treat." He smiled sweetly. "After all I did knock you down. It's the least I could do." Ariel was taken aback, the shy kid she had met just minutes ago was suddenly so commanding and vehemently in charge of the situation. She ordered a few thing from the cart and watched as he bought a large stick of meat. He flipped a golden Galleon into the air catching it on the tip of his thumb before flicking it into the trolly pushers open palm. "Keep the change ma'am."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pet snake. He nuzzled it lightly before breaking off a bit of the raw meat and holding it between his fingers. The pit viper in Dirges hand snapped causing Ariel to jump back almost crashing into another student. Dirge looked at her and chuckled softly. "Don't worry. This is Lucile, she's, well, far from harmless, but she's not vicious. She does however have a veracious appetite."  
Ariel looked at the light bouncing off of the scales of the coiled pit viper. Deep burgundy and shades of blue and purple. She looked at it's face and noticed that Lucile had the same color of eyes as Dirge. It's forked tongue now flitted about searching for the meat stick held in Dirge's other hand.

"Is she tame?" Ariel held out a hand and slowly extended it towards the snake.

"Not tame, just not vicious unless she has to be." Luciles body moved forward and Ariel stroked the head of the pit viper. "Be sure to mind the spikes and don't rub her scales the wrong way. She really doesn't like that much." As he said this Lucile began rubbing her head along the length of Ariels out stretched fingertips.

"Wow, this is so cool, normally I'm terrified of snakes, but this one isn't scary at all. It's like a scaly kitten or something." Lucile and Dirge looked into each others eyes and Dirge chuckled. He looked down and Ariels pant leg was now crimson with blood.

"Aw fuck." He threw open the door to a compartment and ushered Ariel in. "Take off your pants." He said, his back to her as he closed the compartment door and drew the curtains. Placing Lucile and the meat stick back into his robe pocket.

"Excuse me?" She was taken aback by the sudden bold request.

"Take off your pants." He turned around now to face her. His face was blank as he walked past her and closed the other set of curtains.

Ariel attempted to read his voice but it was flat. She found herself removing her jeans before she realized what was happening. "Sit." She followed his simple command the cool sensation of the seat underneath her made her double think.

He had attempted not to look but he couldn't help himself as she undressed. Her pants slid down her legs her inner thighs were a milky white complexion, her black thong underwear a stark contrast to the pale smooth skin that was her beautiful butt. She sat without asking a single question. Dirge reached into his pocket and produced his wand.

"What type of wand is that. I've never seen one like it? Did you get it from Ollivanders?"

"Yes, I did and I don't doubt that you've never seen one like this. Ollivander said he's only ever had three in his shop and he's never sold any of them. It's a Cherry wood and Dragon Heartstring, 13 and a half inches. Inflexible. He pointed to her leg with the wand. "Tergeo" there was a flash of light and the blood seeping down Ariels leg had disappeared. He looked at the gash as if sizing it up in his head. He pointed the wand again "Episkey. That should just about do it, though you may have a small red mark for a few days."

She watched him work in amazement, how a first year could perform such sells was beyond belief. He picked up her jeans reusing his Tergeo spell to clean the leg of her pants. He looked at the hole in the jeans. "Do you like your jeans with holes, or would you prefer them to be intact?"

"Either or." The fact that she was still sitting around in her thong was slowly sinking into her bewildered brain. He muttered an incantation under his breath and she watched as the hole in her pants was suddenly patching itself closed. He handed them back to her and she stood up slipping them on. "Thank you for that. but aren't you afraid of getting in trouble?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "No, not really. I'm not breaking any actual rules since I'm using it to help out someone in danger. And I'm untraceable."

"Untraceable?" She looked at him shocked. Who was this kid?

"Yeah, something to do with my wand I think. I received a message from Harry Potter himself telling me that 'While I was untraceable, they would be keeping a close eye on me'. So I took the time and taught myself as much as I could about spell-work." He opened the door to the compartment and bowed so that she could take her exit.

She walked past him and noticed that his hair had gone from dark brown to a bright blonde. "Hey, what's up with your hair, it kinda changed color, is that something to do with your wand?"

"Uh no, actually, I'm a Metamorphmegus, I've been practicing on changing parts of my hair color, but I keep ending up accidently changing the whole head. I can't quite get the grip of it yet, but I'm slowly getting there." He absentmindedly stroked the back of his head causing his hair to change from blonde to blue. A few stray hairs escaped is tight ponytail and drifted down his cheeks. He blew them up out of his face as they continued to walk down to the last trolley.

"So what house are you in anyway." He asked Ariel as they came up to one of the last compartments.

"I'm Slytherin House." She looked back expecting him to pull away. But instead his face lit up with excitement.

"Really? How is it, who's the Head of House?"

"Professor Horace Slughorn."

"That's so cool." They finally came to the final compartment of the last trolley.

"Well, this is your stop I suppose." Said Ariel as Dirge peeked into the compartment. Ariel noticed that it was surprisingly full of people. She pulled the door open and poked her head inside. "Hey James, got somebody that want's to meet you guys. He's a big fan of your dad." The oldest kid stood up and offered his hand to both Dirge and Ariel.

"Hello Ariel, hello...I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Dirge."

"Dirge?"

"Dirge." Dirge shook James's hand slowly.

"Well Dirge, I'm James," He patted a young boy on the head ruffling his hair. "And this is my younger brother Albus. And this is Rose Weasley. My cousin."

"Weasley, like as in Ron?"

"The very same" chuckled James. "Please, come in and have a seat." Ariel and Dirge squeezed into the compartment and sat beside one another as Rose was filling Albus in on the ins and outs of wizards chess. "Dirge huh, that's an odd name isn't it?" Asked James absentmindedly.

"I'm fairly certain my parents had a sick sense of humour."

"Had, can't help but notice the past-tense there bud."

"Had. They passed away a few days after I was born." Dirges face took on a mournful appearance. "Or they may as well have. I was adopted when I was a few months old, but sadly it's never seemed to work out."

"What do you mean?" James ripped open a chocolate frog biting it's head off and looking at the card. He smiled and passed it to Dirge who grabbed it and looked at the face of Harry Potter.

"I'm cursed."

"Wait, you're cursed?"

"Well, not like actually cursed, like with a spell or something. Just, cursed by misfortune."

"Well, what is it you want to do when you grow up?"

"Hard to say really. I just don't want to end up like my parents. Or my grandfather."

"Who are your parents?" Asked James, watching as the young man's hair changed from blue to a dark fiery red. He had seen his Aunt Tonks do the same thing so he tried not to pry.

"I'd rather not say to be honest. It's kind of embarrassing." He pulled Lucile out of his robe pocket and placed her around her shoulder. She let out a soft hiss and slid down his arm to curl up into his lap. Ariel looked at the viper and noticed that the burgundy had become a bright crimson color and the blue and purple hues had become shades of green and black. Dirge stroked her head lovingly as the train rolled along.

-

The compartment was boisterous with sound as they rounded a bend. Dirge and Ariel where laughing at one of James stories involving his father and a misunderstanding with a werewolf in Florence. Albus slept soundly on Roses shoulder. Rose had her head resting against the backboard. The game of miniature Wizards chess lay forgotten on her lap as she slept.

Dirge heard screaming coming from the front of the trolley as he stood up he felt the air in the cabin begin to go cold. He looked around the cabin at his fellow classmates. Their eyes looked far away, their faces began twisting into frowns. Ariel had started forming tears that looked frozen in the corner of her eyes.

Dirge threw open the door to the compartment and stepped out into the trolley. Ice had begun forming on the windows. Dirge could hear the sounds of people sobbing as he walked the path. As he passed into the next trolley he noticed the lovely older woman pushing her cart was now crumpled on the floor, her knees pulled up into her chest. Sobbing like a child.

From the compartment behind her glided a large black figure. Dirge recognized it as a Dementor. He knew from the books that Dementors had once worked as the wardens and guards of Azkaban prison, but since the Second Wizarding War had basically been unheard of. Apparently this one had found it's way to a place along the path to Hogwarts. Dirge summoned a Patronus with out a seconds hesitation. From his wand shot a large spiked viper that wrapped itself around his torso, draping itself over his shoulder.

"Leave this train at once." Dirge stood stalk still as the kids in the compartment closest to him began feeding off the effects of his summoned Patronus and managed to pull themselves together. They looked out of the small windows into the hallway. Dirges Patronus reared its head back. "I said, LEAVE!" He threw his wand forward fast enough to make a cracking sound like a whip, the Patronus launched itself from his extended arm and wrapped itself around the blackened being.

There was a loud crack as Kingsley Shacklebolt apparated on-board just behind Dirge followed by another loud crack as Harry Potter apparated on the other side of the Dementor their wands ready to release a Patronus of their own. They stopped in the middle of their spell at the sight of Dirge. His Patronus had wrapped itself around the Dementor completely making it impossible for the beast to move.

-

"So you were unaffected by the Dementor?" asked Kingsley, his kind eyes looked Dirge up and down. He looked over at Harry who had been rubbing his scar since they appeared on the train.

"Yes sirs, I noticed something was odd with my fellow classmates and I leapt to action to the best of my ability."

"Very brave of you. But also very foolish. You could have been very badly hurt. Or worse." Said Shacklebolt, his voice darkened with sadness. "Do you know what a Dementor does?"

"Yes sir. It basically eats every happy memory or feeling a person has until all that's left is misery, right?"

"Yes, that's quite concise, you're a very bright young man, and obviously a very powerful young wizard to summon a fully formed Patronus like you did at such a young age. But Dementors are disreputable beings, tell me, do you know what do you know about a Dementors kiss?"

"They suck your soul out. It's said to be agonizing beyond belief. It doesn't kill you, but you're barely living." Dirge twiddled his thumbs as he repeated what he knew about the Dementors. This last part caught the attention of Harry who had basically been silent since appearing on the train.

"That's quite right" said Harry moving to sit in front of the kid, placing his hand gently on his shoulder giving it a fatherly squeeze as he passed by him. "That's what makes them so dangerous son. We just don't want you to get hurt. We're both glad and very impressed that you managed to hold off a fully grown Dementor on your own, just next time, perhaps put a little more thought into the situation before you jump in and risk your own well being."

Harry stared at the boy in front of him, his fiery red hair had turned into a cool silver. As he made eye contact Harry had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to stop from screaming in pain and clutching at the faded scar on his forehead. Harry took a deep breath as the fire in his forehead began to die down. His eyes looked like that of a husky. "Are your eyes always that color, or is it your ability as a Metamorphamagus?"

"How did you know I was a morphamagi?"

"I've known a few in my day." Harry and Shacklebolt gave a hearty laugh and patted the young man's shoulders.

"They're my own." Dirge smiled at them. "They're the one thing I don't like to change, I like my natural eye color."

"As well you should, it's your most striking feature."

"Mr. Potter, could I ask a favor of you? If it's no big hassle."

"I'Spose I've got a moment, what might I be able to help you with?"

"May I have your autograph please?" Dirge reached into his pocket pulling out a little notebook with scribbles from all over the wizarding world.

Harry gave a small chuckle and pulled his wand out, tapping it to the notebook. His name sprawled like fresh ink under the tip of his wand. Dirge smiled at his newest signature and snapped the notebook closed, placing it back in his pocket. "There, in the distance, there's Hogwarts."

Dirge snapped around in his chair to view the distant building that he would be calling home for the foreseeable future. The light's in the distance sent chills up and down his spine. "By the way." Dirge turned back around to Harry who had spoken to him.

"Yes Sir?"

"How exactly were you unaffected by the Dementor? You must have lived a really wonderful life, eh?"

"Actually sir, it's quite the opposite. My life has been a long string of misery so I've gotten used to the feeling I suppose."

"Well, then how did you summon such a powerful Patronus? I mean if you don't have any strong memories to draw from?"

"Oh, that's easy, I learned a long time ago that will power works just as well as a good memory. And I've been told I have a will as strong as iron."

Harry and Shacklebolt looked at one another their eyes widening. Dirge took no notice. Paying attention to the ever approaching spires and towers in the distance. There was a crack as Harry and Shacklebolt apparated back to the Ministry.

-

Dirge said goodbye to Ariel and James and followed a large bearded man with a lantern. Albus said his name was Hagrid. They seemed to know each other. Hagrid led them down to the edge of the lake. Dirge looked at the water, it was reflecting the sky, the stares shone on the lake aided by the still waters. The group of first years were ushered into boats and set sail across the lake to the stairs at the bottom of the path.

Hagrids deep voice rang out loudly in the still was informing the group of the grounds as they approached the great hall. Just beyond the giant, heavy wooden doors was the sound of jubilee. Dirge looked around and saw Albus, he looked nervous. Dirge felt the opposite. He felt elation. No, not elation, he felt freedom. True freedom. He concentrated hard on the part in his hair. Looking at his reflection on a golden plaque that shone with a reflective brilliance. He saw the two halves of his hair take on different colors. Blonde on one side and black on the other.

Dirge turned around as the doors were opened. Hagrid began waving the students through. As Dirge entered the great hall he looked at the overhead banners denoting the house that sat at the tables underneath them. He found Slytherins table and looked over, picking Ariel out almost immediately. She waved at him and whistled. Dirge could feel the eyes on him.

He strolled forward confidently. His eyes focused ahead to the table where an older woman was giving a speech welcoming the first years. She rattled off the rules with curt understanding. As she finished she gave a deep welcoming smile and flung her arms wide. "Let the sorting, begin."

-

Dirge waited patiently as students were sorted one by one into their respective houses. He had been keeping a mental tally and thus far had counted 24 to Gryffindor, 21 to Ravenclaw, 29 to Hufflepuff and 21 to Slytherin. He looked around, there were maybe ten more students still to be sorted. "Albus Potter." Said McGonagall smiling at the shaky young boy as he stepped up to the hat. Dirge listened carefully. There was a brief pause before the sorting hat shouted at Gryffindor and Albus, beaming, went to go sit next to his older brother.

A few more students were ushered into their houses. until at last, Dirge was left standing alone. "Dirge Rid..." McGonagall stuttered over his last name. A fact that made Dirge very happy. There was an audible swallow. "Dirge Riddle." As Dirge walked forward the sound of the the otherwise joyous great hall went silent. He could feel the eyes on him. He looked over at Ariel, her eyes were shocked and her jaw was agape at the news of who he was.

He sat at the footstool and McGonagall placed the sorting hat on him. "You, you can't be." The sorting hat whispered in his mind.

"I am." Dirge clasped his hands together and waited. after a few minutes deliberation the sorting hat spoke to the entire auditorium which had been listening with bated breath.

"Slytherin." His housemates cheered as he stood up placing the hat back on the stool. He walked with confidence back to the table and stole the seat right next to Ariel. Lucile crawled out of his pocket and slithered into his lap as the feast began.

-

After the feast Mcgonagall congratulated all of the new students on their sortings and told them basics about what would be expected of them in the following year. Her eyes went cold as she spotted Dirge but she quickly regained her composure. "Now if you'll please follow your prefects back to your House Rooms. Classes will being in the morrow." Dirge stood up and followed Ariel to the Slytherin common room.

As he stepped in he felt truly at home. The true heir of Salazar Slytherin was home at last.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: You will not use my name against me.**_

Dirge sat sprawled out on the leather couch in the Slytherin commons room. His fingers tracing the seam of stitches as he flipped through his Herbology homework. He let out a deep sigh and sat up. Ariel, who had been asleep with her head in his lap, was startled by the sudden movement and jumped back. "Oh, Sorry Ariel, I kind of forgot you were there."

"S'Alright, I'm sorry I fell asleep on you like that." She looked at the book in his hand. "What's wrong? Are you having trouble with your Herbology homework?" He shook his head in response.

"No, that's not the issue. I'm fuckin' bored. I haven't learned anything new since we started. I mean, I know it's only been a few weeks, but come on, teach me somethin' y'know?" He closed his Herbology book and pulled out a stack of papers with all the homework he had finished. He had gotten so bored he had finished Ariels as well. "Do you have any clue how easy this crap is for me?"

Ariel took the paper and looked it over. He had answered every question correctly without having to ask her or look at her books or notes.

"I can't take this crap anymore. I'm going to McGonagall and demanding harder classes." With that he stood up and began left the common room. He walked slowly through the halls, the sound of his heels pattering on the ground echoed against the marble. The paintings on the walls watched him silently. He passed by a large portrait with a golden frame. Albus Dumbledore sat in a large purple claw backed chair. His robes and beard were immaculate. He was constantly seen smoking a pipe, but this time, the pipe sat beside him unused.

"Ah, Mr. Riddle. How can I assist you? Are you seeking an audience with Ms. McGonagall perchance?" The portrait spoke in a dulcet tone. His voice sounded like it was aged with fine tobacco.

"Yes professor. I'm seeking more difficult course studies."

"Ah the pursuit of knowledge is never-ending. A fact that I am thrilled to know." Dumbledore stood up and left the side of the painting. Dirge waited patiently with his arms crossed behind his back. Feigning a deep and sudden interest in the cards beneath a small cluster of painting as a group of fifth year students passed him.

He tried his best to pretend not to hear their conversation. Ever since his name had been called in front of the entire student body he had been at the center of the public eye. James had not spoken a word to him. Ariel however, was thrilled to find out that Dirge was a direct descendent of not only Salazar Slytherin, but also of Tom Riddle who in his later years had come to be known as Lord Voldemort.

Dirge focused hard on the card, reading every word very carefully as the students passed him. He gave a deep sigh of relief. But as hey rounded the corner, they must have assumed they were out of earshot and they began talking about Dirge. Dirge however, only managed to catch a small snippet or two of the conversation before Dumbledore reappeared and the door to the Headmistresses opened slowly. "Best of luck, Mr. Riddle."

"Thank you sir." Dirge gave the portrait a wave and walked up the staircase as the portrait swang back into position sealing the opening behind him. His shoes made a satisfying snap as he walked up the stone staircase. The only source of light was from the burning candles that lined the walls. The faint smell of cat lingered in the air underneath a mixture of flowers and spices.

Dirge made it to the top of the winding staircase and came to a large door that already sat ajar. In the middle of the large room behind an ornate wooden desk sat Headmistress McGonagall. She was pouring over a large stack of papers that were spread out on her desk. Her lips were pursed in concentration. "Come in Mr. Riddle, I've been informed you were coming."

"Yes Ms. McGonagall." Dirge stepped forward and sat in a large chair opposite of the headmistress whom had placed a hand up requesting Dirge remain silent for a moment. He sat across from her patiently.

McGonagall finally finished her work and looked up, her face was lined with age and the bags under her eyes made her look bruised. "How can I help you Mr. Riddle?"

"Dirge, please."

"How can I help you Dirge?" Her face lightened slightly.

"I wanted to speak to you about my classes ma'am."

"Are you having problems? Surely if you are struggling you can go to a teacher for help as opposed to coming to me."

"No ma'am, nothing of the sort. As a matter of fact I'm doing quite well. Far too well. I wanted to talk to you about possibly taking more difficult classes; I'm not learning anything." MCGonagall leaned back into her chair and gave a heavy sigh entering deep thought.

"Well, I'm not sure. We could try to put you into advanced classes, but most first years can't handle it. I'll tell you what Dirge. I'll give you a week of advanced classes as per your request. And if you can't do it, or you find it to stressful I will place you back into standard classes."

"That would be great."

"Also we are starting a dueling club you may be interested in. If you are you should speak to Professor Longbottom for more information." With that McGonagall gave him a wave with the back of her hand dismissing him as her eyes snapped back to the stack of papers.

Dirge stood up and gave MCGonagall a bow before exiting the headmistresses office and following the winding stairs back to the painting. As he approached the painting swung open and Dirge stepped through entering the massive hallway. Dumbledores painting swung tight with a locking sound and Dirge began making his way back to the Slytherin common-room.

Ariel sat on Dirges lap, her head resting listlessly against his shoulder. She took a deep breath inhaling the sent of the man she had become infatuated with. He was much older than most first years but he had only just been accepted on his 15th birthday. She thought back to the first time she met him on the train. She had assumed that because he was a first year he was younger than she was, but he was almost the same age. She watched his arm flex and release as he wrote.

Dirge had just started the advanced classes and was already set to take the position of top student.  
"Hey Ariel, can I ask you something?" His sudden voice made her jump awake.

"Yeah, what's up Dirge?" She managed to get the words out through a yawn. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I got it, this is all pretty easy. I was wondering if you would like to join the dueling club with me? Professor Longbottom will be teaching it and apparently he was taught by Harry Potter, so it could be pretty fun." He sat back, snaking his arms around her waist and placing a kiss between her shoulder blades. As he did Lucile crawled out of his pocket and made her way up his arms to wrap around Ariels shoulder.

"Sounds fun." She bit her lip as his found a spot between her shoulders. She could feel the warm breath from his nostrils against the nape of her neck causing chills to burst through her body. "But I know something even more fun." She looked over her shoulder at Dirge and gave him a wink. "Nox." As she whispered the lights in the common-room went out and they were left in darkness. She rotated on his lap and planted a kiss on him before standing up and pulling him to the couch.

Dirge and Ariel walked hand in hand making their way to Professor Longbottom's classroom. The students gave them a wide berth watching them as if they had developed the plague. Dirge didn't care. He had become used to the stairs and the silence. He was proving himself to his professors and to himself and that was all that mattered. He looked over at Ariel, she was still getting used to the attention, whether it was good or bad.

They walked through a door and entered the room. A quick headcount told Dirge that nearly a hundred students had shown up to Professor Longbottoms dueling club. He looked around and noticed that in the middle of the room was a raised platform maybe three feet off the ground. The platform was made out of wood with what looked like a cushioned top, on which stood Professor Longbottom.

His eyes scanned the crowd before placing his wand to his throat. "Attention." His magically enhanced voice easily echoed over the student causing each of them to drop their independent conversations and focus on him."As you know this is a dueling club. We are not responsible for any injuries that you could, and probably will sustain while taking part in the club activities."

He scanned the crowd again. "There are a few rules and regulation in place for the protection of you, the students. However. I cannot guarantee your complete safety and protection. So I ask you to use your best judgment. No unforgivable curses, nothing that causes intense pain, and no permanent hexes. Almost everything else is fair to use. If I could have the following students step up to the platform, please." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a list of names.

Dirge watched, fascinated as the two students took to the stage. They exchanged bows and walked to the end of the platforms before turning to face each other. "Wands at the ready." They raised their wands to a battling position. "And Begin."

They began firing spells at each other. Dirge recognized most of them as beginner spells. The wand tips flashed with hues of reds and greens. And after about a minute of barely deflecting his opponents attacks, the Ravenclaw took a petrification spell to the chest causing him to drop. Longbottom declared the Hufflepuff a winner and reversed the spell. As they stepped back through the crowd there were smiles on their faces as they patted each others backs.

Dirge sat through several more bouts watching his classmates dueling strategies closely until Professor Longbottom called him up. as Dirge walked forward the students cut path almost as if to avoid being touched by him. He looked back at Ariel and handed her Lucile before turing back around and continuing through the swath of students.

His feet felt like lead as he walked up the steps to the dueling area. He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard the name of his opponent. He looked up in time to see James Potter step up onto the other side of the platform. The scowl on his face was unmistakable as he looked at Dirge. He took a deep breath and met James in the middle. As they bowed James whispered in Dirges ear. "You're going down Riddle, you scum."

"You first, Potter." Dirge saw red as his name was used against him. He took several steps back and James whipped around blasting a stun charm at Dirges core. Dirge deflected it causing the spell to careen wildly into the wall shattering a chunk of stone. James didn't relent slinging spell after spell after spell. Dirge deflected what he could but the last charm caught his robe causing it to yank him back.

He planted his feet into the soft padding of the stage. "Confringo." Dirge released a blasting curse that landed at the foot of James blasting him into the air. "Wingardium Leviosa." Dirge used the levitation spell on James prone body in midair. He lifted him up with his wand. "Bombarda Maxima" Dirge released his hold using the spell on the other end of the platform. The large explosion sent James soaring through the air, unconscious. His body lay crumpled on the opposite side of Dirge who bowed to the unconscious body of James Potter before stepping off of the platform.

He walked back to Ariel grabbing Lucile. "Lets go." Dirge walked past her not bothering to look behind him.

-Edit-

I feel that I should mention to the reader that her name isn't Lucille. It's pronounced like "Loose Isle"


End file.
